This invention involves a ladder that can be stored unobtrusively in the room from which escape is possible.
In many living quarters, such as row homes having two or three stories, it is a major concern that the occupants might be trapped by a fire in the upper floors. The windows, front and back typically do not offer a change of safe escape, particularly from a third floor. On the other hand, it is common to have skylights from a third floor ceiling to either a sloped roof or in many cases a flat roof which continues to the adjoining row homes. As a consequence, if the occupants can escape through a sky light to the flat roof, their safety is essentially assured as they can move in either direction away from the fire to either an exterior fire escape or to a neighboring portion of the building where they can descend through a door or skylight and attain the ground safely. The problem arises that few persons will have a rigid ladder available on the third floor of a home as storage is difficult and they are generally unsightly. A rope or chain ladder cannot be used by an elderly person and is difficult to used by anyone unless it is resting against a vertical wall. As a consequence, although a skylight that is easily opened as an escape door to the roof is an appealing addition to such homes, there has been no practical way of climbing to the skylight to escape a fire.
The ladder devices of the prior art do not satisfy these needs and do not attain the objects of the invention listed herein below.